Uhh what chapter is this? Regardless, Naruto and Sasuke finally confront each other. Let's watch!
--
When he arrived, the place was empty. It felt sad and lonely and the only sure thing was the sound of his sandals clopping along the loft floor. He walked in a sad trudge across the expanse between the elevator and the platform where he would wait. Naruto reached his destination, set down the plastic bag he was carrying and brusquely turned and sat.
He began immediate work on his fingernails, gnawing them down, evening out the rough parts. There he sat, deep in thought, uncharacteristically unaware of his own nervous gestures.
It wasn't long before Naruto felt his pants start to vibrate- cell phone- and it startled the hell out of him. He clutched his heart with one hand and answered the call with the other. It was Ino. She wasn't coming in today. Naruto rested his chin in his hands on his knees. Kiba had opted to ditch today too.
'Which means,' he thought as he pressed the red button to end the call, 'It's just me and him.'
--
The whole world was against him.
It had to be. Sasuke brooded and stalked his way to the loft, where he would be forced to confront Naruto. Alone.
Ino AND Kiba had decided to play hooky, as Sasuke thought when he received the cell phone calls. Aside from that, he had narrowly escaped Kakashi's clutches after awaking to the most intensely frightening misconception imaginable. However he was immensely relieved that he didn't in fact fool around with his boss while in a drunken stupor. Still, it was shaping up to be one entirely painful day.
The angry brunet turned into the loft's ground floor entrance, thrust the elevator doors open and mashed the top floor button. He would not give in, would not show his feelings, would not let this little... crush sway him!
Then the doors slid open, and there upon the platform sat a little blond ball that seemed so sad. Sasuke stared endearingly across the expanse at the precious being whose head was nestled in his own lap. He unknowingly started toward the boy, but halted- then continued after noting that he was ignoring any noise that was made.
"Morose isn't your usual demeanor..." Sasuke drawled at the still oblivious curled-up Naruto. Moments later, with no warning, Naruto's head shot up, nearly snapping his own neck as he gasped. Upon seeing his tormentor, the 'morose' one's demeanor immediately changed.
"Yeah, well, punching me in the face isn't your usual either." Naruto was positively sour. Not at all what he intended to come off as a minute before while he was thinking of what to say. Sasuke got defensive.
"Well you blabbing secrets... is... what you usually do... But it's a damn shitty thing to do!" Sasuke finished his stuttering tirade in time to notice his companion's scowl fading. He ditched his own grimace. 'Rats,' he thought, 'I'm letting him get to me. I need to say something...!'
"I'm sorry." the smaller one managed to utter first. "God. I'm sorry. Like, what do you want me to say? I didn't mean it? I DID mean it! But I'm... here."
While Sasuke gaped at the pseudo-apology, Naruto turned and dug through the plastic bag to his side. He pulled out a teeny box and stood up to square his shoulders at Sasuke.
"I did some thinking on the walk over this morning- no, it didn't hurt-" Naruto sardonically interrupted himself, "And I thought about what I said and what I meant and what happened that night a while back and... about a lot of stuff. Like how much that punch hurt and how I couldn't sleep and your face."
"My face?" the singer asked, still absorbing the boy's explanations.
"Yeah. The one in my dreams that was screaming at me and trying to kiss me at the same time. Not a comforting image to sleep by, I might add."
"Oh... sorry." he apologized quietly.
"Don't be, it's my messed up subconscious. So, right, this. I stopped and got you something. Don't ask me why, I was feeling obligated and it won't happen again soon, I promise." The blond offered the teeny box to a very lost looking young man. Sasuke took it and was almost afraid to open it. He looked into his bandmate's eyes for a moment for signs of sincerity and instead found fear and slight apprehension. Without thinking, Sasuke thrust his right hand out and planted it on Naruto's chest below his left clavicle.
Naruto's eyes widened and he quirked an eyebrow at this odd display. Sasuke yet held his hand there, unfazed by his friend's shock. Finally, the brunet smiled a little and scoffed.
"What could possibly be in this box that would make your heart pound like that?"
Naruto shoved Sasuke's hand off his precious being. "Just open it, jerk."
Sasuke smirked and refocused his attention to the box. Slowly, he slid the top off and was surprised for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes. It was a key. A little silver uncut key that was completely plain, except for the teeny engraved 'B'.
"That black cord you wear around your neck is so boring, so... well you better wear it. The people at the hardware store AND the engravers thought I was nuts." Naruto explained.
"I dunno what to say... Why did you do this?" Sasuke's face was unreadable, which made Naruto even more flustered.
"Because I'm awful with this whole 'I'm sorry' thing and normally I'd just ignore you until we HAD to cooperate. But this time it felt different." Naruto continued while staring into his friend's eyes, "I felt like I couldn't ignore your ass anymore."
The blond reached out and pressed his right hand into the left side of Sasuke's chest. He smiled. "Drop the mask, poker face, I can read you like a book."
"Can you?" Sasuke quietly asked and leaned into Naruto's touch. The small boy blushed hard and laughed nervously.
"Geez- isn't this how it started last time?" and he laughed again.
Sasuke looked off to the side distractedly for a moment before returning his intent gaze to his companion.
"Nope. Last time we were on the couch." and he smiled.
--
Okaaayyy I have options here. As you may know, I'm a big fan of just skipping over the good parts and simply describing them vaguely in a follow-up. Truth told, I'm a biiig fan of subtlety. The other option is to attempt to go into detail (or as much detail as this site will allow) sooo I guess only feedback will tell!
--
When he arrived, the place was empty. It felt sad and lonely and the only sure thing was the sound of his sandals clopping along the loft floor. He walked in a sad trudge across the expanse between the elevator and the platform where he would wait. Naruto reached his destination, set down the plastic bag he was carrying and brusquely turned and sat.
He began immediate work on his fingernails, gnawing them down, evening out the rough parts. There he sat, deep in thought, uncharacteristically unaware of his own nervous gestures.
It wasn't long before Naruto felt his pants start to vibrate- cell phone- and it startled the hell out of him. He clutched his heart with one hand and answered the call with the other. It was Ino. She wasn't coming in today. Naruto rested his chin in his hands on his knees. Kiba had opted to ditch today too.
'Which means,' he thought as he pressed the red button to end the call, 'It's just me and him.'
--
The whole world was against him.
It had to be. Sasuke brooded and stalked his way to the loft, where he would be forced to confront Naruto. Alone.
Ino AND Kiba had decided to play hooky, as Sasuke thought when he received the cell phone calls. Aside from that, he had narrowly escaped Kakashi's clutches after awaking to the most intensely frightening misconception imaginable. However he was immensely relieved that he didn't in fact fool around with his boss while in a drunken stupor. Still, it was shaping up to be one entirely painful day.
The angry brunet turned into the loft's ground floor entrance, thrust the elevator doors open and mashed the top floor button. He would not give in, would not show his feelings, would not let this little... crush sway him!
Then the doors slid open, and there upon the platform sat a little blond ball that seemed so sad. Sasuke stared endearingly across the expanse at the precious being whose head was nestled in his own lap. He unknowingly started toward the boy, but halted- then continued after noting that he was ignoring any noise that was made.
"Morose isn't your usual demeanor..." Sasuke drawled at the still oblivious curled-up Naruto. Moments later, with no warning, Naruto's head shot up, nearly snapping his own neck as he gasped. Upon seeing his tormentor, the 'morose' one's demeanor immediately changed.
"Yeah, well, punching me in the face isn't your usual either." Naruto was positively sour. Not at all what he intended to come off as a minute before while he was thinking of what to say. Sasuke got defensive.
"Well you blabbing secrets... is... what you usually do... But it's a damn shitty thing to do!" Sasuke finished his stuttering tirade in time to notice his companion's scowl fading. He ditched his own grimace. 'Rats,' he thought, 'I'm letting him get to me. I need to say something...!'
"I'm sorry." the smaller one managed to utter first. "God. I'm sorry. Like, what do you want me to say? I didn't mean it? I DID mean it! But I'm... here."
While Sasuke gaped at the pseudo-apology, Naruto turned and dug through the plastic bag to his side. He pulled out a teeny box and stood up to square his shoulders at Sasuke.
"I did some thinking on the walk over this morning- no, it didn't hurt-" Naruto sardonically interrupted himself, "And I thought about what I said and what I meant and what happened that night a while back and... about a lot of stuff. Like how much that punch hurt and how I couldn't sleep and your face."
"My face?" the singer asked, still absorbing the boy's explanations.
"Yeah. The one in my dreams that was screaming at me and trying to kiss me at the same time. Not a comforting image to sleep by, I might add."
"Oh... sorry." he apologized quietly.
"Don't be, it's my messed up subconscious. So, right, this. I stopped and got you something. Don't ask me why, I was feeling obligated and it won't happen again soon, I promise." The blond offered the teeny box to a very lost looking young man. Sasuke took it and was almost afraid to open it. He looked into his bandmate's eyes for a moment for signs of sincerity and instead found fear and slight apprehension. Without thinking, Sasuke thrust his right hand out and planted it on Naruto's chest below his left clavicle.
Naruto's eyes widened and he quirked an eyebrow at this odd display. Sasuke yet held his hand there, unfazed by his friend's shock. Finally, the brunet smiled a little and scoffed.
"What could possibly be in this box that would make your heart pound like that?"
Naruto shoved Sasuke's hand off his precious being. "Just open it, jerk."
Sasuke smirked and refocused his attention to the box. Slowly, he slid the top off and was surprised for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes. It was a key. A little silver uncut key that was completely plain, except for the teeny engraved 'B'.
"That black cord you wear around your neck is so boring, so... well you better wear it. The people at the hardware store AND the engravers thought I was nuts." Naruto explained.
"I dunno what to say... Why did you do this?" Sasuke's face was unreadable, which made Naruto even more flustered.
"Because I'm awful with this whole 'I'm sorry' thing and normally I'd just ignore you until we HAD to cooperate. But this time it felt different." Naruto continued while staring into his friend's eyes, "I felt like I couldn't ignore your ass anymore."
The blond reached out and pressed his right hand into the left side of Sasuke's chest. He smiled. "Drop the mask, poker face, I can read you like a book."
"Can you?" Sasuke quietly asked and leaned into Naruto's touch. The small boy blushed hard and laughed nervously.
"Geez- isn't this how it started last time?" and he laughed again.
Sasuke looked off to the side distractedly for a moment before returning his intent gaze to his companion.
"Nope. Last time we were on the couch." and he smiled.
--
Okaaayyy I have options here. As you may know, I'm a big fan of just skipping over the good parts and simply describing them vaguely in a follow-up. Truth told, I'm a biiig fan of subtlety. The other option is to attempt to go into detail (or as much detail as this site will allow) sooo I guess only feedback will tell!